Symbiosis:
Living Together
3 types of symbiotic relationships
mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
Parasitism:
a parasite expliots the
resources of its host to its own benefit,
while harming the host
Commensalism:
two specifies form a close association
where one organism benefits and the
other is neither harmed nor helped.
Shrimp and anemone
Commensalism
Mutualism:
an intimate association between
two species that offers advantage to both species
Examples
 Bread mold and
bacteria
 algal blooms can
lead to the death of
many species of
fish, however the
algae do not benefit
from the deaths of
these individuals.
Amensalism


occurs when one
species hurts
another, but does
not benefit from this
interaction
-/0 relationship

a nitrogen producer selling excess heat
and CO2 to a greenhouse grower that is
then able to increase yields and cut
energy costs

a construction company using discarded
car tires to line a drainage ditch, avoiding
fresh materials.
Industrial Symbiosis
Attack of the Bot Flies!!

Order Diptera,
Family
Cuterebridae,
Dermatobia
hominis

Torsalo or “Human
Bot Fly” is native
to Central and
South America

Exhibits both
Commensalism
and Parasitism
Life Cycle

Female torsalos glue their
eggs to the abdomen of a
mosquito or fly

Body heat from the host
triggers rapid hatching of
the torsalo's eggs. The
tiny maggots burrow
quickly into the skin (even
through clothing) and
begin development as
internal parasites.

Larvae develop over a
period of 5-10 weeks,
forming a painful cyst
under the skin. When
mature, they emerge from
the host, fall to the
ground, and pupate. The
adult fly emerges several
weeks later.
General Characteristics

An adult torsalo is a rather
large insect (10-15 mm)
with a bluish-black body,
brown wings, and yellow
markings on the face and
legs.

Fastest flies in the world
(80/kph)!!

Adults lack maxillary palps
and are thought to be
unable to feed due to their
atrophied mouthparts. Rely
on food reserve from larval
stage.

Larvae have sharp spikes to
anchor themselves to host

Bacteria microhabitat?
Treatment
Bot Flyoramma!
Cattle Bot Fly
Rodent/Tree Squirrel Bot
Fly
 Nose (Sheep) Bot Fly
 Stomach (Horse) Bot Fly


Rodent/Tree Squirrel Bot Fly

Eggs are layed on
habitat substrates
rather than directly
on host animal.
Nose (Sheep) Bot Fly

Living maggots are
deposited in the nostrils of
sheep.

Harmful to sheep due to
migration of larvae
through the nasal
passageways and sinuses.

The larvae remain in the
sinuses for 8 to 10 months
and then are sneezed out
of the nostrils.
Horse Bot Fly

Adult females deposit eggs on
the horse's legs, shoulders,
chin, throat and the lips.

Bot eggs enter the horse's
mouth and develop into
larvae. The larvae migrate and
attach themselves to the
mucus lining of the horse's
stomach, remaining there
during the winter.

After about 10 months, they
detach themselves and are
passed in the feces. The
larvae burrow into the ground
and mature into adult flies.
References
Symbiosis – Torsalo


Botfly

The Bot Fly - Insects, Bugs, Flies

http://entomology.unl.edu/ent108/BOTW/BOTW3_rabbit_botfly.ht
ml

Screwworm flies as agents of wound myiasis

The Associated Microflora to the Larvae of Human Bot Fly
Dermatobia hominis L. Jr. (Diptera: Cuterebridae) and its
Furuncular Lesions in Cattle

Bot Flies Are Our Friends – About

Human Botfly, Bot Fly, Botflies, Torsalo, Dermatobia hominis

biology, economic effects and early efforts to eradicate hypoderma

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Symbiosis

Close interactions
between two or more
different species
Clown Fish and Sea Anemone
African Crocodile and Blackbird
Plover
Bees and Flowers

Mutualism
◦ Both species benefit from the interaction
Symbiotic Relationships

Parasitism
◦ One species benefits and the other species is harmed
◦ Parasite
 Organism that lives on or within a host species
Symbiotic
Relationships
Tapeworm (Taenia
Deer Tick (Ixodes
scapularis)
solium)
Parasitic Wasp

Amensalism
◦ One species is harmed
and the other species is
neither harmed nor
benefits from the
relationship.
◦ Antibiosis and
Competition
 Bread Mold
Penicillium
 Overgrowth of algae
Symbiotic Relationships

Commensalism
◦ One species benefits and the other species does not gain or
lose anything
Symbiotic
Barnacles and Relationships
Whales
Cattle and Egrets